


A Really Pretty Girl

by priestessamy



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Female Cloud Strife, Multi, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:54:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23832712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/priestessamy/pseuds/priestessamy
Summary: With one sentence, Jessie accidentally throws everything into chaos. Cloud was already questioning things, and she just made it worse. Tifa and Aerith aren't exactly helping either.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Jessie/Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife, Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart, Jessie/Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Comments: 61
Kudos: 192





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm writing this as someone who only played like half of the original game, and has watched a few LPs of the remake. So obviously this is a heavily OOC college AU

"You would make a really pretty girl."

If pressed, Jessie would never be able to tell you why she'd said it. It made sense in her head. She was looking at Cloud and noticed his long eyelashes and slim face and the words just tumbled out. After all, when you were working on building sets in the theatre shop, you sometimes just started talking about random stuff. That was nothing new. But even by that standard, she was entering some weird territory.

He took it about as well as anyone would expect. "You've got to be kidding me." He sliced through one last piece of wood with the table saw before powering the device down and looking at her seriously, tugging the protective eyewear from his face. "What am I supposed to do with this information?" Finally he just scoffed, putting the goggles back in place and firing up the blade once again. "I would put down a hundred dollars that you are completely wrong."

"I'll take that action."

If pressed, Jessie would never be able to tell you why she said _that_ either. But now she was being called out on her bullshit and she didn't have the kind of personality that would allow her to walk it back.

He just laughed and continued sawing. "Very funny. How in the world could you ever prove that?"

She might not have been willing to back out of this conversation, but Jessie did at least know how to play things off and dig in her heels. "You're just saying that because you're terrified of losing a hundred bucks. Or you're afraid of me being right. Or both!" She giggled softly, improv skills kicking in and pushing her to keep this idiocy going. "C'mon, I can get us some impartial judges, and Andrea can help with the makeover. It'll be fun!"

He remained silent for an uncomfortably long period, completing one last cut before once again shutting off the saw. "This is one of those things where you're not going to let it drop until I cave, right?"

"Precisely!" she said with all the confidence she definitely didn't feel at the moment.

Gathering up the stack of lumber, Cloud groaned and started walking off to put them somewhere safe. "Fine, whatever. But this was your ridiculous idea. So you can set it up. Just... give me a time and place or whatever and we can get this over with that much faster."

* * *

Aerith knew she was supposed to be doing her usual work-outs. She knew that full well. And yet here she was, staring at Tifa, as per usual. Aerith could stare at her friend hitting punching bags for hours. It was practically a work of art. There was something about the way her muscles tightened and released with each jab. What was the point in doing stupid yoga exercises when she could find a kind of ineffable peace just watching this.

Unfortunately, the longer you stare at someone, the more likely it is you'll get caught. By the time she realized Tifa was turning around, it was too late. If she tried to run away, she would only look that much more guilty. Instead, she was forced to stand her ground and just accept what she was doing. To her surprise, Tifa didn't seem to mind at all. She just offered a friendly wave and strolled closer. "Hey there, just finishing up?"

"Yep!" she lied. "Thought I'd pop over and check up on my favorite pugilist."

Surprisingly, a look of disgust passed over her face and she shook her head in response. "Ew, I know that's absolutely the right word, but there's something gross about it..." She reached for a nearby bag and slung it up over her shoulder, starting toward the door.

Aerith grinned, walking alongside her toward the gym's exit. "Awww, which word? Favorite? No, that can't be it. Ya mean... _pugilist_?"

Tifa's head began to shake a little bit more firmly. "Stooooop, why does that make me so uncomfortable??"

As much as she really would have liked to continue needling her, the two of them were suddenly interrupted by a familiar face jogging their way. "There you are!" Jessie gave an excitable wave, which they both returned. "I need your help. Big time."

* * *

Initially, Tifa was thinking the highlight of her day would be meeting up with Aerith and spending some time with her. But then Jessie came around with quite possibly the biggest development in months. She found herself laughing brightly as the girl recounted the conversation she'd had with Cloud in the theatre workshop. Aerith was at least attempting to suppress her giggles, but she was failing. Only Jessie looked less than amused, mostly because she was too overwhelmed with the weight of her embarrassment.

"I don't know! I don't know why I said or did any of it! I just know that all of a sudden I was in too deep and refused to get myself out. If he'd just said 'whatever' like he usually does, we could have moved on. But he doubled down, turned it into a bet. Before long, we're... here." She slumped across Aerith's bed, head resting lightly in the other girl's lap.

Just the tiniest spark of jealousy flared up in her chest as Aerith reached down and began lightly playing with Jessie's hair. "You poor thing. You've got it so bad and it's clearly short-circuiting your brain."

"Got what bad?" she said, utterly failing to convince anyone in the room that she didn't know what her friend was talking about.

Leaning forward, Tifa gave her a nice big grin. "Cloud. You wanna hit that. But in a gay way. Which is twisted, but kind of cute." She realized only after the words left her mouth that maybe she was attempting to get a little bit of revenge on Aerith for practically flirting with the girl resting against her lap now. But rather than look upset, she just locked eyes with her, eyebrow slightly cocked, lips curving into a curious smirk.

"No! Maybe? ...I don't know. What the hell am I doing?"

Still stroking her hair, Aerith looked down at her with that same intrigued smile. "You said it yourself. If Cloud had been adamant about not doing this, that would be one thing. But either he's hard up for cash, in which case you might want to stop him before he tries to settle up. Or... something else is going on. In which case, it might be a while before you really understand it."

"Either way, I gotta see this. You can count me in for this... whatever it is."

"Me too!" Once again, her eyes moved from the girl on her lap to lock on with Tifa's. Whaaaaat was going on here??

* * *

_I'm not actually that desperately in need of money, am I?_

Cloud was sitting in one of the theatre dressing rooms, staring into the mirror, waiting anxiously for Andrea to arrive. He just kept running the words over and over again in his head. 'You would make a really pretty girl.' Of course he had to pretend that it was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. That Jessie was talking insanity. Far easier that way. So he didn't have to think about how that was exactly the kind of thing he wished someone had said to him ages ago.

The door opened and he jumped in his seat, breathing out a sigh of relief when he realized it was just Andrea. "Shit... Do you ever _not_ make an exaggerated entrance?"

"Comes with the territory, darling. I do everything exaggerated." He strolled over, plopping an impressive box on the counter. "Now, do you want a last cigarette or anything before you officially kiss your heteronormativity goodbye?"

Oof, Andrea probably thought he was just being snarky and funny. Cloud wondered if he knew how close he came to hitting something very real. "I'd rather just get it over with." That was the ticket. Keep being standoffish and cold. Then no one had to ever know. Simple as that.

He clapped his hands together, then turned to the impressive case, which opened up into multiple compartments filled to burst with make-up of all kinds. Rather than dive right in, he retrieved a few wipes and passed them to Cloud. "Start with these. Clean your face up. I must work with a pristine canvas."

"Is this really necessary?" he mumbled as he began wiping some of the grime and leftover sawdust from his skin.

"Cloud, let me level with you. This is a bet you can't win. You're already a pretty boy. Making you a pretty girl will be no challenge whatsoever. I could literally put you in a flannel and some skinny jeans, maybe hit you with a little eyeliner, and you'd already fit the part. But with the challenge before me, I will accept nothing but the best. So. Wipe your face first."

He continued to do as he was told without raising any further complaints. Next thing he knew, Andrea was sitting very close, giving him soft directions to help with the application of the makeup. "Close your eyes. This will feel a little weird. Okay purse your lips. No. No, _purse_... Good lord, do it like you're a fifth grader going in for your first kiss. There we go..." It all went by in something of a pleasant haze, which Cloud hated to admit. Before he knew it, Andrea was closing up his case and sliding back in his chair. "Okay, one more embarrassing step and then it will be all over. Then... Well, then you just have to pay Jessie her hundred smackers because _goddamn I am just that good_."

Cloud let his eyes flutter open and immediately let out a gasp before he could bite it back. It wasn't like the image that greeted him was all that different from what it usually looked like. But the contouring, the highlighting, the accents on the eyes. They were... perfect. He cleared his throat softly and searched deep down for that usual attitude. "There's more? Ugh, just pull the trigger, don't leave me in suspense here."

"But the anticipation is the best part!" he said cheerfully, going over to a nearby hanger and retrieving both a piece of clothing and... something else. It was only when they were set down in front of him that Cloud could get a decent look. Of course the first was obvious, a fairly simple dress that would complete the look and also the humiliation. It was the other article that made him even more embarrassed. A sports bra with some minor padding. "I tried to remind my dear Jessie that one does not need a chest to make them a girl - _she should know_ \- but I think she was insistent on the full experience."

Not wanting to draw this insanity out any further, Cloud just sighed and was already slipping off his shirt and awkwardly putting on the bra. Which did leave him putting a certain amount of mental energy toward ignoring the strangely positive feelings. Charging ahead without concerns about his embarrassment, he climbed out of his pants as well and slipped the plain cotton dress over his head. It fit fairly well, save for the broadness of his shoulders. "I'd worry about pairing this with combat boots, but I guess Aerith has done that on more than a few occasions. So it's probably not verbotten or anything, right?"

At that, Andrea gave a rather dramatic and exhausted sigh. "At this point, I don't think there's any point in drawing this out further. If we were preparing you for your grand entrance at senior prom, I'd make you learn to wear heels. But this will have to do for now." With one swift movement he pulled the zipper at the back and secured the dress in place.

Looking into the mirror one last time, Cloud was... Well, any normal person would have been disturbed by their appearance. Or upset at the prospect of losing a hundred bucks. Not to mention having to look like this in front of three friends. But Cloud felt... kind of good. For a moment, he was certain that Andrea caught him and expected a catty comment. Instead he just smiled and shrugged. "Your audience awaits."

* * *

Jessie sat with Tifa and Aerith out in the audience of the small theatre. They were all chatting quietly when they suddenly heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Her heart leapt up into her throat. It was time.

Still, even having those few seconds of lead-up, there was no way she could have actually been prepared for what happened next. Sure, it was just Cloud. But like... it was _Cloud_. She already had it bad enough. This just pushed everything into overdrive and she didn't really know how to process it. The simple dress, the slight curves, the touches of expertly applied makeup, the slightly bashful stance. Never mind the fact that as soon as he stepped out, both of her companions immediately erupted in applause and bright cheering.

She wanted to join them. Jessie really, really wanted to support her friend and show that there were no hard feelings here. She'd long since decided that she wasn't even going to bother with any exchanges of cash if she won the stupid bet. But now she couldn't even react. She just sat there and stared as Tifa and Aerith both went running up to marvel at Andrea's work up-close.

But Cloud didn't even seem to be aware of their presence. His eyes were locked directly onto hers. She couldn't quite tell if it was the rouge or if there was some natural blushing going on there too.

Jessie was realizing now, in her silent moment, that she had been hoping that her friend would look ridiculous. Then they could all laugh this off and go back to life as normal. Instead, this was... not that? Cloud looked strangely peaceful, and she felt fully aware that her own stupid crush had just gotten more powerful, not less.

The next few days were going to be really confusing.


	2. Chapter 2

_This is how I die._

_Can you die from embarrassment?_

_Shit, I'm going to be the first person to ever die from embarrassment._

_Get it together, idiot. You're going to be fine._

_Probably._

Cloud was vaguely aware of Tifa and Aerith fawning over him. It would have been easy enough if they were clearly trying to suppress the urge to giggle and laugh at his misfortune and awkwardness. But they were... actually legitimately complimenting him on how good he looked. And that was just... too much.

Besides, he was mostly focused on Jessie.

_How did she know?_

_Not like mind-reading is a thing._

_But maybe she's just good at reading people._

_But that still doesn't explain how she pressed all the right buttons. And now look at her, just sitting there staring at me._

_What the fuck is her problem??_

"Are we done here?" He huffed, eager to get as far away from this situation as possible. "The point has been made and I lose."

Finally, Jessie seemed to actually snap out of it. She got up, cautiously walking over and clearing her throat. At least she was finally having the good sense to look ashamed of herself. "Look, let's just call the bet off, okay? It was a stupid idea and you're clearly way more uncomfortable with this than we expected."

Aerith pouted, taking a small step back. "Not like you have any reason to be. You're owning this look."

Maybe she was trying to be supportive, but it only twisted the knife more. He didn't want to be here anymore. Time to get the hell out. "You all can go. Andrea, I just need to borrow some more of those wipes. I can lock up when I leave..." With that, he strode back to the changing room, not bothering to wait for a response.

Cloud didn't even look in the mirror while he got changed, not until he was back in his own clothes. Back to normal. Back to safe. Once that insanity was over with, he started walking back through the theatre building, making sure that everything was locked up. He didn't expect to walk back onto the stage and seeing Jessie still sitting there, waiting for him. He huffed, frustrated, digging his hands into his pockets. "Pretty sure I told you to leave."

"You said we _can_ go. Didn't say we had to..." She wasn't nearly as high-energy as she usually was. "Besides, I wanted to stick around. Make sure you were okay."

Frustration was starting to turn to anger. "Okay?? Of course I'm okay. What, did you think you broke me or something? It was a stupid bet. Not even a big deal. Seriously, you don't need to hang around."

Jessie scoffed. "Wait, are you _upset_ that I'm not making you pay me?? Did I hurt your big manly-man pride? Get over-"

"You don't know a goddamn thing!" Cloud never raised his voice. Cloud never expressed anything resembling emotion. But he was feeling broken right now, and that meant it was time to get angry to make up for it. For a moment, he just glared at Jessie while she stood there in shock. Stalking a few feet closer, he looked right into her eyes. "How did you know? Why did you do it?" The instant look of confusion on her face told him he was getting furious for no reason. Not that this knowledge changed anything. You couldn't just turn the angry off. "How'd you manage to reach directly into my fucking chest and crush my heart in your hand with a single stupid joke??"

In spite of his unnecessary fury, Jessie didn't seem ready to back down. "A joke-bet that you seemed pretty damn ready to take part in. Seriously, what is your problem?"

"I-"

_Just say it, dumbass. Just tell someone. Anyone. She'll understand. Probably. Or maybe that's the thing that will actually make her hate you. Yeah, that's more likely. Don't bother. Get out._

"Ugh, never mind. Fuck this." He retrieved the keys from his pocket and tossed them on the ground then started for the door. "Lock up when you leave."

Cloud didn't make it nearly as far as he expected to, when a hand on his arm from Jessie stopped him in his tracks. She didn't even say anything, just held him there, looking pleadingly up into his eyes. It could have been thirty seconds or an hour, but finally she spoke with a cracking voice. "I'm your friend. I would never try to hurt you, not on purpose. Whatever I did, it's an accident, due in no small part to my idiocy and inability to course-correct."

He maintained his own silence before harshly wrenching his arm away from her grasp. "Just because you didn't mean to do something doesn't mean you didn't do it. Like I said, lock up." And with that, he stormed out.

* * *

The entire evening had been rather... odd. Tifa thought that they were having a good time and that it would be a nice little laugh. Except then Cloud walked out and looked... incredible. Foolishly, she'd been expecting something closer to a drag show, and not to just see her friend in a way that she never had before. And then he freaked out, and Jessie insisted on staying anyway, and...

Well, all that was on top of her own confusing thoughts and feelings. She wasn't so dense to not know what those thoughts and feelings were. Rather, the hard part was sorting out what her chances were. Aerith was just generally friendly, not unlike herself. And any sort of intimacy could be mistaken for affection, or just platonic fondness.

Which was all a very flowery way of saying she was just another dumb lesbian in a sea of dumb lesbians. And she refused to let herself admit that she had any sort of hope. By that same token though, Tifa kept right on holding on to her hope.

"Wanna get something to eat?" Aerith said, clearly somewhat deep in her own thoughts at the moment.

It had been kind of a weird day, and some normalcy sounded good. "Seventh Heaven?" she asked with a small smile.

"Are you sure you feel like going out to someplace that you already work?" she fired back with a little smirk.

The answer to that was easy - and easy sounded good at the moment. "I get a discount, and depending on who's working I can get stuff for free. And quite frankly, I kinda need a drink." Something about that apparently triggered one of Aerith's trademark empathetic looks. "Look, it's just... been a day. You can't tell me the energy in there didn't get weird real fast. I don't know, I already have a lot on my mind anyway."

So they started walking into town. Hearing what she said, Aerith only seemed to get more worried. "Something you want to talk about?"

No. Hell no. Absolutely not. Sweet, but definitely no. "Err, maybe some other time? I just want to decompress for now. Sorry."

She just shook her head, smiling, hair bouncing here and there. Effortlessly gorgeous. Dammit. "No need to apologize! I'm fine with decompressing. Let's do it."

* * *

Jessie was sulking in her dorm room. This entire day had been a shitstorm. From the moment she said those cursed words, everything just kept getting worse. And it was all her fault. She'd goaded Cloud into something that he clearly hated. And now he hated her too. She'd also noticed some minor tensions after her short time spent in Aerith's room between her two friends. Then there was that argument with Cloud.

She'd clearly fucked everything up, and the best thing to do was hide away in here for a while until everything had blown over.

Which made it sort of difficult when her friends decided to randomly pop by. It wasn't like they were bad people. Quite the opposite, Biggs and Wedge were really good dudes. On any other day, she would have been happy to waste hours and hours with them. The problem was that Jessie was also too tired to make them go away.

So when Wedge knocked on the door and announced himself, she just gave a soft "yeah, come in" while laying on her bed. Her hands were laced together on her stomach, and she was staring straight up at the ceiling.

At least Biggs had the sense to realize something was up when they walked in. "Oh, uh, hey..." But there was also some part of her that kind of wished they wouldn't catch on, and she could just pretend. She was an actress, she could pretend with the best of them. "We can always come back later."

"What are you talking about? I'm fine."

"Yeah, you're... clearly not." He strolled over and sat down on the edge of her bed, looking at her with concern. Wedge stood nearby, looking equally worried.

Jessie, having been hurt and now looking to hurt someone else, didn't bother to try and be empathetic or gentle about it. "Oh what the hell would you know about it??"

She expected him to get combative about it, but instead Biggs just smiled gently. "Uh, because you're our friend? We know what you're like. We know how you're usually bouncy and full of life, and when you're down, it's like you deflate."

"And right now, you're looking seriously deflated!" Wedge added with his usual comforting grin. "There's no point in trying to be stoic and cool about it. So what's the deal?"

Groaning, she dug the heels of her palms into her eyes and ground them for a moment or two. As if the pressure would somehow keep her from freaking out. Jessie rolled the evening back over through her mind, her stupid comment, Cloud yelling at her, even what Biggs had just said.

_Cloud is my friend. I know what he's usually like. If he didn't care, he would just... not care. But this is actually bothering him, making him lash out, act weird. He's... my friend. And even if he'll never admit it, he needs me right now._

Just like that, Jessie was popping up onto her feet, giving each boy a dramatic kiss on the forehead with a bright giggle. "You guys are geniuses! But that also means I need to go, so I have to kick you out. Please hunt me down tomorrow and we can absolutely hang out forever! Now shoo, shoo!" She swiftly kicked Wedge in the butt before shoving Biggs out the door after him by the shoulders. They were both laughing, obviously glad to see her doing suddenly better, even if they were severely confused.

Jessie was a woman on a mission, and that was a sight to behold.

* * *

Several drinks in and Aerith was feeling quite good. Yes, perhaps there had been a few odd things that day. But for now, right here, it was just her and Tifa, and they were drunk, and it was warm and nice. Every now and then, she would stick out her leg and let her foot brush against Tifa's, which always earned her a blush and a bashful smile. This was going incredibly well and she couldn't help thinking that maybe the time had come.

Or, more accurately, there would never really be 'a time'. So why the hell shouldn't she just do it now? So what if things had been awkward for a while?

"So come on, out with it, you're jealous of Jessie, right?"

Instantly some of that blushing and smiling turned into a deep embarrassment. Tifa went from nursing her whiskey sour to chugging it. "What do you mean??"

"Come on, I saw the way you were staring her down earlier. One little touch from me and you were glaring a hole through her head. And honestly, the relationship she has with Cloud?? You wear this stuff on your sleeve, sweetie..." Judging by the constantly deepening blush, Aerith knew she was hitting nothing but bullseyes here. "Tifa, it's okay. I'm not judging you. You have every right to be jealous of the girl. Cloud is your childhood best friend. And I was maybe flirting with her just a little bit."

Surprising her, Tifa got an amused little smile finally, head dipping slightly. "I guess maybe I was too. And I... definitely was jealous. But you don't... mind?"

Lightly, Aerith didn't just brush her foot against the other girl's leg but gently hooked their feet together at the ankle. "Mind? I'm honored. I'm glad I'm worth getting jealous over. And I certainly don't mind if things are a little... eh, complicated. We'll figure it out."

Aerith was a woman on a mission, and it was a sight to behold.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a hair shorter, but it's also got a bit more packed into it, so it probably balances out in the end.

Jessie knocked on Cloud's door and was predictably met with silence. She frowned, giving another few knocks. This was no good. She couldn't give up, not this time. Something big was clearly going on, and she owed it to her friend to see this through. "Cloud?? Come on, I know you're in there. I can see the light on under the door." At which point, the thin stream of light escaping through the crack at the bottom suddenly disappeared, with the muffled sound of a switch being flicked. "Hilarious. Your comedic timing is unparalleled. But I think you doubt my stubbornness." Whipping around, Jessie planted her back against the door and slid down to a seated position, legs crossing. "I'm gonna sit right here and annoy the shit out of you. All night if I have to. You wanna get out, you gotta go through this door and right into me. Or, I guess you could crawl out the window. Like some kind of weirdo."

Inside the room, she could just make out the sound of mattress springs squeaking. "Gonna get some rest, huh? Yeah, that's probably a good idea. You had a big day. Upsetting, even. Maybe a little bit emotionally exhausting. That's on me, of course. I really screwed up. And the worst part is that I don't even know what I screwed up. What I do know is that I can still fix it. So I'm gonna sit right here, and chatter away for hours and hours and hours and hours until you finally talk to me and tell me what's wrong. So buckle up, because I can do this forever. In the meantime, I can go over some of my knowledge of theatrical history. We begin with what many consider the very first play, in-"

The world suddenly fell out from under her as Jessie tumbled backwards, the door opening out behind her. Looking up from her spot on the floor, she saw Cloud towering over her. "Get in here, before my RA gives me a fucking violation for noise complaints."

* * *

The world suddenly fell out from under Tifa as Aerith pushed her up against her door, zeroing in for a passionate, if sloppy, kiss.

Walking back to campus from the bar, she'd sort of assumed that they would leave things at a bit of shameless flirtation. Aerith was escorting her to her room, like an old-school gentlewoman. So it was that much more of a shock when she found herself pinned and smooched. Apparently her own expectations were far more innocent than her friend's. Not that she was exactly complaining about that. It was very nice.

With fumbling hands, she reached down behind her and opened the door, both of them tumbling through and only barely managing to keep from straight-up falling down. They shared in a bout of light giggling at their ability to get lost in the moment. "This is ridiculous..." Tifa panted.

Aerith just shook her head, pressing her lips to the tip of her nose. "Nothing ridiculous about it..."

"I-I don't want to ruin our friendship," she tried, though it came out rather more half-hearted than intended.

Right on cue, she got a light scoff in return. "I'm kind of _trying_ to ruin our friendship. Or improve it, depending on how you want to look at it," she added with another soft giggle. "The point is, I don't wanna be just friends anymore. I want to be with you, Tifa. What do you say?" She gave her the doe-eyes, resting a hand against her cheek.

It wasn't like she was actually worried about losing her friend in the first place. Even so, Aerith was making some very convincing arguments. She started unconsciously nuzzling into the hand, practically cooing as Aerith tucked a few strands of hair back behind her ear so she could get a better look at her face. "No, you're right. I'm... crazy about you. I just get nervous about disrupting stuff, ya know?" She paused for a moment, thinking it over, before realizing that thinking too hard wasn't really getting her anywhere lately. So she just spoke from the heart. "Stay with me tonight...?"

The next thing she knew, she was falling back onto her mattress with Aerith on top of her, wrapped in yet another engaging kiss. Couldn't ask for a better answer than that.

* * *

Go figure the only thing that could worm its way past Cloud's defenses was a girl who didn't have the good sense to quit. Until just a few moments ago, he'd been under the impression that he could keep his secret basically all the way to his grave. But Jessie had gone and proved him wrong. He was sitting on the edge of his bed in his pajamas while she idly poked around his room. Not that there was much to be seen. He kept it spartan - a few childhood trinkets, a poster from that Moogles concert, some books, but nothing very exciting. Yet somehow she made it seem as though she was unearthing long-buried relics and treasures.

"Um, now that I'm in here, I sorta feel like an asshole..."

"You _are_ an asshole," he reminded her gently, though his voice did shake slightly. Cloud was staring down an oncoming train and there wasn't anything to be done about it. His only option now was to meet it, instead of wasting more time. "Just... Here. Come sit. Christ." He shuffled over to make room for her to sit next to him on the bed.

Jessie did so, carefully lowering herself onto the mattress, tentatively. Like she might get up and run away at any point. "Yeah, well, I had a lot more confidence before you actually opened that door. Go figure."

Releasing a long, low sigh, Cloud ran his fingers through his hair. "Just... let me get through this. The reason I was acting so crazy..." The words almost instantly got caught in his throat. _Just say it. Just fucking say it. How is it this hard??_ "I'm not a 'manly-man'. Or at least I don't think so. I think I was supposed to be... I mean, I feel like..." Cloud pinched the bridge of his nose.

One more try. "I'm trans, Jessie."

She gasped in response, hands going up to her mouth. "Oh god... So when I said that thing and... and we made that bet and... Shit, Cloud! I-I am so sorry!" Without warning, she threw her arms around Cloud, squeezing tight.

It took a moment or two to get extricated from her grasp. "Okay, okay. You're supportive. I'm... glad..."

"Um, can I ask, I mean, do you have a preference for pronouns. Or like... a name you want me to call you?"

~~He~~ She found herself smiling, in spite of everything. Duh. Of course Jessie would be so immediately understanding. No question, no hesitation. It was such a relief that Cloud didn't even really know how to process it consciously. "Eh, my name is already pretty androgynous when you get right down to it. But I guess... I guess we could try out the uhh... feminine ones? Just to see? I don't know, to be sure?"

Surprisingly, Jessie began to laugh. "I don't think you necessarily need to double-check yourself when it comes to these things. Us cis folk don't generally question that kinda stuff. But sure." Ever the performer, she pantomimed speaking to someone else. "Oh! And this is my friend. Her name is Cloud. She and I went to college together~" Clearly satisfied, she gave a short little nod with confidence. "What do you think?"

Cloud's face felt like it was on fire. "Wow, that... Um, thank you." She rubbed at the back of her neck self-consciously. She still wasn't really able to actively process any of this or really think it through. But on an instinctive level, it felt perfect. It was just right. Her shoulders instantly relaxed and she felt like this entire day had practically been worth it. "How do you do that? Just... flip the switch? It took me a while to work this shit out."

She simply shrugged and beamed a big smile. "Because I care about you, ya big dummie!" Just as suddenly, her smile faded slightly, her cheeks starting to turn red. "You're Cloud. The details don't really matter. I mean they matter! They matter a lot to you. But it doesn't change the fact that I care about you." Jessie leaned over and playfully bumped shoulders with her.

Cloud played very aloof, and tended to ignore social cues. But that didn't mean she wasn't aware of them. Quite the opposite, she could be incredibly observant at times. So she was at least aware of the fact that there were other things going on here. Things that Jessie was repressing. And while she was tempted to retaliate and pester the girl until she explained herself... Well. Cloud didn't need it explained to her. She could see it. And she was way too fucking exhausted to deal with it right now. That was a problem future Cloud would address.

Instead, she just opened up her arms, inviting Jessie in for one more hug, which she took with great zeal. "Hey. Um. Thanks. Y'know, for being an asshole. It feels way better getting this off my chest than I realized. Maybe... I should tell Tifa too. Considering how far back we go, I bet she's gonna be pissed at me for keeping it from her. And not being the first person I went to..." Cloud laughed softly at herself. "I should actually get some sleep now"

Jessie bounced up to her feet, hesitating for a moment before bending down to kiss Cloud lightly on the cheek. "Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything, okay? Anything at all. I'm here for you."

That was probably the best possible outcome Cloud could have asked for, all things considered. There were still some hills to climb in the future. But they felt... easier now. "Good night, Jessie."


	4. Chapter 4

Waking up in Tifa's bed was quite possibly the most amazing experience ever. Aerith felt... victorious, and happy, and fulfilled.

Hm, mostly, anyway. The night before, she had thought that they were very nicely on track. But suddenly, Tifa pumped the breaks and looked at her with those big beautiful eyes. "Um, is it cool if we just kinda... take it slow?"

That may not have been exactly what she'd wanted to hear. But Aerith damn sure wasn't some horny frat brother looking to seal the deal. She did actually care about Tifa. A lot. And getting to make out and cuddle up to her all night was still incredible. She wasn't going to complain about that. Especially not now, as she woke up when a beam of sunlight settled across her face. Her eyes flitted open and landed on the other girl. Tifa was laying there with her hair sprawled out, more than a few strands hanging across her face. Unable to help herself, she reached out to draw the hair away so that she could get a better look at her gorgeous friend.

Friend? Something else? They'd certainly started talking about that last night, but they never really finished the conversation. Not that she was complaining about that either. It was something that she'd said herself last night. She was effectively trying to change their friendship, to become something different. And Tifa hadn't argued with the idea beyond one half-hearted attempt. She'd even said she was 'crazy' about her. It didn't get much better than that.

Disturbing the strands of hair eventually caused Tifa to wake up, immediately breaking out in a wide smile. "Glad to see you're still here..."

"Where in the world could I go that would be better than right here, right now?"

Their gentle flirting was interrupted by the sound of a phone. Leaning over her without batting an eye, Tifa grabbed the phone up and checked to see what was going on. "Huh... Was that a completely rhetorical question or am I allowed to actually answer it?" She turned the phone around, showing that she'd gotten a message from Cloud.

_"Can we talk?"_

If it were anybody else, obviously Aerith would have been a little bit offended. But considering the way last night had gone... Well. There was definitely something going on there. And Cloud wasn't exactly the type to ask for a conversation unless it was absolutely necessary. If he needed Tifa, then there was no way she was going to tell her not to go.

"Well, it was rhetorical at first. But yeah, you should go. I get the feeling Cloud is going through something. You know where to find me." She kissed her softly before the both of them got out of the bed to dress and go about their days.

As Aerith returned back to her dorm, she got a text of her own. Glancing down at the screen, she saw Jessie's name pop up.

_"Can we talk?"_

* * *

Tifa and Cloud worked fast when they first got to their school, looking for a stand-in that could serve the same purpose as the old water tower. Unfortunately, colleges were rather notoriously restrictive when it came to letting you wander freely around their campus, especially on top of things. In the end, Tifa discovered a spot that was pretty isolated from everywhere else, rarely visited, and provided a clear view of the sky. Granted, they normally did this when it was night, so they could go stargazing. But when Cloud was going through something, time of day didn't really matter.

She was already seated on their usual bench, staring up at the sky, when she noticed Cloud out of the corner of her eye. She waved and smiled, and he attempted to offer the same back, though Tifa could see that it was a bit forced. Still, no judgment, no assumptions. Let Cloud actually come out with it before she freaked out too hard. "Hey."

"Hey... Thanks for meeting me so fast." As Cloud got closer, he did actually start to smile more naturally. Or, rather, smirk. "Was I interrupting something?"

Clearing her throat, Tifa gave an unconvincing shrug. "What do you mean?"

"Your neck. You've got some uhh... markings..."

A small squeak erupted from her throat. "Dammit Aerith," she muttered to herself, though apparently Cloud heard her, chuckling as he took his seat. "I'm gonna need you to pretend you didn't hear that."

"Hear what?" he replied casually. "Anyway, that's not why we're here. I need to tell you something. Also, I need you to not get mad at me for telling Jessie first. She suddenly showed up at my dorm last night, refusing to take 'no' for an answer. Pestered me until I talked about it. Did you know just how much that girl can chatter?? It's equal parts incredible and insufferable."

In fact, Tifa was maybe a little bit offended at the idea that he didn't tell her first. But she also knew what Jessie was like. Not to mention how _obvious_ Jessie was. Go figure the girl would go barreling through all his usual defenses. Besides, it was twelve hours later and Cloud was telling her too. That was the kind of loyalty you didn't get from just anybody. "Come on, I'm not that possessive. You're allowed to have other friends. As long as you remember who your best friend is."

"Yeah, that's kinda what I'm counting on..." he said softly. "Look, I was an asshole last night. Which is especially shitty in light of the fact that you and Aerith were being actually really supportive."

She gave a soft chuckle. "We _were_ laying it on pretty thick."

"No, that's not uhh... That's the thing, it wasn't too much. It was... amazing. I liked it. I liked... being a girl, ya know? Honestly, fuck Andrea for doing such a good job. I expected him to do something garish and I could have shrugged the whole thing off. But I looked..."

"You looked incredible," Tifa said, cutting in. And there was the real Cloud smile. The one that said everything Cloud wasn't necessarily saying out loud. She reached out, firmly grasping a hand. His hand. Her hand? She looked up and smiled. "I lied. I am still a little mad Jessie found out before I did. But I'm also not surprised she's the kind of person who would bully you into admitting it like that. So I guess you're forgiven..."

Cloud started to blush, and it was absolutely adorable. "So. You and Aerith?"

Immediately, she withdrew her hand, smacking Cloud on the shoulder. "Yes. Jackass..."

* * *

"Okay so..." Jessie was pacing her room while Aerith sat there, clearly trying her best to not laugh. It was sweet and infuriating. "Obviously like this can't leave the room. Like I'm telling you one secret in order to tell you what I actually wanted to tell you. And it's not something I should be telling you, but it's important, so..."

Aerith held up a hand to stop her rambling. "How about I make you a deal. I'm going to take a shot in the dark here. And you don't have to tell me if I'm right or wrong. But hearing someone say it out loud will be easier than freaking out because you're revealing something major."

Her head nodded dumbly. That would certainly make things easier. "Y-Yeah, okay."

She sat there quietly for a moment, fingers steepled together in front of her mouth. "You're into Cloud. That's the obvious first proposition."

"I think at this point it's kind of a given..." Jessie muttered, collapsing into her desk chair.

"And I think it's safe to say that Tifa was onto something last night. No denying, Cloud looked good in a dress. And maybe that's a little bit confusing. It's complicated. And maybe... Cloud told you something last night that kind of made things even more complicated?"

Grinding the heels of her palms into her eyes, Jessie let out a long, low groan. She didn't want to just tell Aerith that she was right, but at the same time her friend was so close to the money. "You promise you won't say anything? I know this is such a huge betrayal of trust, but I'm freaking out and I just need someone to talk to."

Aerith began patting the spot next to her on the bed, and Jessie found herself getting up and moving to take the spot without even questioning it. It was a thing that the girl could just do. Everyone wanted to listen to her all the time. It's why she was the person Jessie texted when she started losing it. Just like that, Aerith was putting a hand to her shoulder and tugging her in, guiding her head against her shoulder. "It's okay. You're completely normal. And so is Cloud. You don't have anything to be worried about. Whatever is going on, you two are gonna sort it out."

Damn. This was... legitimately comforting. Her eyes slowly closed, and she felt fingers slowly brushing their way through her hair. "Um, and you're not gonna say anything?"

"Not a word. Both your secrets are safe with me. Okay? You just keep doing your thing and I think it will all be okay." For a while, they just sat there, with Aerith offering some gentle comfort and support to her friend. It meant so much that Jessie didn't even really know how to thank her. Luckily, she didn't have to. Aerith finally released her hold, snapping her back to reality. As her mind caught up, she was vaguely aware of the other girl taking a second after standing to peck her softly on the cheek. "I should go follow up with Tifa. I have a feeling Cloud probably told her what's going on."

Only some of that managed to penetrate the slight fog of confusion, but she did at least process that Cloud was following up on the promise to talk with Tifa. So that was good. "O-Okay. I should probably check in with Cloud then. She..." She bit her bottom lip self-consciously. "Well, anyway. We should talk."

She just giggled softly and went for the door. "Take care of yourself, and try not to freak out too much."

"Y-Yeah, see ya..." When the door clicked shut, she dramatically threw herself back across her bed, giving another distressed groan.

* * *

"Alright, my turn to be a jackass," Tifa said playfully.

Cloud wasn't entirely sure what to expect here, but she figured she deserved it for pointing out what had obviously happened between her friends the night before. "Go for it..." They had long since taken their conversation away from the privacy of their hideaway back to the main part of campus. Hunger called, and they answered, going to the dining hall to grab some lunch.

"What's the... deal with you and Jessie?"

Grabbing for a chicken sandwich, Cloud gave a low sigh. "I feel like... I don't have a good answer for that. She's my friend, and we care about each other. She's sweet, but also kind of annoying. Still, she was able to brute force her way into getting the truth out of me. So I don't know. That probably says something..."

The two of them grabbed a small table, Tifa sitting across from her with yet another grin. "Oh it says something alright."

"Ugh. Like I'm not already dealing with something. Is it really smart to be figuring out whatever is going on there when I'm still trying to figure out my own stuff?"

She expected Tifa to just give her a break and move on to some other topic. Instead, she dug in a bit more. Cloud was swiftly becoming aware of what kind of people she was friends with. "I dunno if that's really an option. If the two of you have a connection, ignoring it could make things worse. You don't have to go to her right now and proclaim some kind of deep and endless love for the girl. Besides, she wants to help you. How can that not be healthy to have around?"

Dammit, why did Tifa have to be right about stuff so constantly? It was insufferable. Even if it was good to have someone else she could bounce all of this nonsense off of. "I'll... think about it."

Spearing some greens on her fork, Tifa laughed before taking a big bite. "Well, let me and Aerith know if you ever need some assistance figuring either thing out."

Oof. How would Aerith react to all this? Probably make a lot of fun of Cloud or something. She could be shockingly sharp. Then again, if last night had been any indication, maybe she would be another good ally. Cloud felt a little bit foolish for not having been more honest about this before. "Um. Thanks."


	5. Chapter 5

In spite of everything, Jessie didn't end up addressing things, not right away. She wanted to. She... really freaking wanted to. But a few days went by and she mostly just ended up hanging out with Cloud, shooting the shit, trying to be a good friend and a supportive ally. Which was good. But it did leave her feeling a bit shitty that every passing second she found her train of thought getting more and more desperate.

_I love you. I love you so much. You're amazing. You're so cool and intense and I freaking love you. But I can't just say that out loud. That's crazy. That's what a crazy person does. But I guess this is also what a crazy person does. So... if I'm crazy either way, then why don't I just do it?? Because one is definitely crazier than the other. For sure._

"...Jessie??"

The problem with having a running monologue in her mind was that she was presently running lines with Cloud in the empty theatre. And it was pretty obvious that her concentration was broken. "Whu...?"

"I said, 'fat or thin?''

"U-Um, 'fuller than me, I think.'"

Cloud gave a soft sigh and closed the script that Jessie had given her.

"Did I get it wrong?"

She shook her head. "It's not that. You got the line right. But it's literally the second thing you say in the scene. You're repeating it flat, no affect, and having trouble with just that. Seriously, what's up??" She paced over to her, passing the script back, huffing. "Is this the part where I find out that you're actually not comfortable being around me?"

Wait, seriously? So... Cloud didn't even suspect that the problem might be exactly the opposite? How could that not be the case? Tifa and Aerith figured her out so fast. But not Cloud. She was too busy still being self-conscious. Which, y'know, fair enough. Only a small handful of people knew to call her by the right pronouns. She didn't feel free to wear different clothes or makeup yet, not since Andrea's makeover. And she deserved the ego boost, even if it murdered their friendship in the process.

"N-No! Are you kidding me? I-" She cut herself off before the words went tumbling out too fast and too honest. "I really freaking care about you, idiot. But um... I guess maybe I am pretty distracted. And it's not... entirely unrelated to you. B-But not for the reason you think!"

"Uh. Do you wanna back up and maybe try that again?" She reached up and ran her fingers through her bangs, messing with them slightly. What Jessie missed was that Cloud was mostly doing it as a nervous tic to hide her light blush. "I think you lost me..."

Blame it on being an actress, or blame it on just being flustered, but Jessie didn't feel brave enough to make a second pass at her fumbled confession. She would rather do something stupid than something difficult. So she dropped her script to the floor, then launched forward, grabbing for Cloud's cheeks, fully intent on drawing her into a passionate kiss that would hopefully explain everything she felt so that she didn't have to use words.

She didn't quite get that far. She did at least manage to get her fingertips in contact with her cheeks, but just as quickly Cloud fell back a step, causing Jessie to stumble slightly. This was definitely a new low. It really seemed as though she was finally going to get the real life version of all those scenes she'd acted out on stage. But... well, real life was messy.

"S-Sorry! I was just... I wanted to..."

"No, it's not-"

"If I ruined everything I'm sorry."

"Would you please-"

"We can always pretend like it never-"

"Jessie!" Squeaking, she shrank back a half-step. Dammit. She'd done something stupid and now her prattling was only making things worse. She was fucking up literally every step of this. "Jesus, calm down. I'm not... I'm not mad, just... This is on the heels of me coming out to you not even a week ago. Okay? So I need you to tell me now if this is some kind of... thing."

Almost instantly Jessie was breathing a sigh of relief. Every time she felt like she was sunk or hopeless, it turned out that she was completely blowing things out of proportion. So she raised her hands slowly in surrender, smiling softly. "I... Um... It's been like this for almost three years now. You coming out literally changed nothing. I-I like you a lot Cloud. I always have." Finally she started closing the distance between them again, hesitant but hopeful. "Sorry for trying to make a move on you without warning like that. Maybe instead... we could try going on a date?"

Cloud looked thoughtful for a moment, eventually starting to smile, which was always a treat. "Only if we make it a double date. Safety in numbers..." she admitted, with some embarrassment.

* * *

Cloud still wasn't entirely sure why she actually agreed to all of this. It wasn't as though she'd lied to Tifa before or anything. She did have some sort of feelings for Jessie, even if they were confusing. It was more the insistence on having the others join them. Hell, even that wasn't true. She'd slept on coming out for years and years, and to have someone express interest in her as she was, it left Cloud never wanting to go back to the way things used to be. But that meant doing a lot of scary stuff. Going out as a woman would be a lot easier if she was in a group.

So. A double date.

She was currently standing in Andrea's dorm looking and feeling like the epitome of uncomfortable. "The other night, you said it would be pretty easy to make me look like a girl without much work."

"Again? What, you take a second bet or something?" Judging by the smug smile, he already knew damn well what this was about. But he was playing dumb. The asshole.

She groaned, crossing her arms, hating how obvious he was being. "I'm trans, you ass. I'm going out with Jessie, along with Tifa and Aerith. I wanna look good and I have no goddamn clue what I'm doing."

He just grinned. "Yeah, Aerith told me. I just figured it'd be good for you to say it out loud again. You deserve to feel proud."

"Help me without the sass or I'm going to deck you."

"Sass isn't optional, Cloud." he chimed, already reaching for his makeup kit.

* * *

Tifa was presently scouring through her wardrobe looking for something to wear. Nearby, Aerith was looking at herself in the mirror, swapping two dresses back and forth in front of her, trying to decide on her own outfit.

"I'm glad this is happening, but isn't it just like... a little weird? I-I don't know."

"I think it's adorable! I'm so happy for them. I can't wait to go out to dinner and watch their incredibly awkward attempts at flirtation. Seriously, it'll be perfect."

Tifa swallowed, retrieving a sweater just to have something to mess around with. Still one more hurdle to clear. How the hell did she even start to approach this without sounding greedy? Why couldn't she just be happy with the amazing joy she had now. Any other person would be. But not Tifa. No way. "Yeah, I bet they're both gonna be super cute. Um..."

The dresses were put aside, suddenly forgotten as Aerith returned to her side. "Hm? What's up?" In spite of how playful and sharp she could be, there really was an empathetic core to Aerith you didn't find in many people.

"If I'm being honest, I'm a little bit... nervous about some stuff..."

Her head canted to the side slightly, lips curling into a smile that was both comforting and maybe a little bit amused. "What do you have to be nervous about? You already know how I feel about you. We're mostly just there for moral support."

"N-No, not that..." she said, shaking her head slowly. "Um... Look, come on, let's not pretend like things aren't at least a little bit beyond that, okay? You know how much Cloud means to me, and jesus, you saw how good she looked the other night. And you've been pretty friendly with Jessie. This isn't just a double date. Or at least I'm terrified it's gonna be more than that. Things are kind of spiraling and going crazy. Doesn't that scare you?"

Surprisingly, Aerith just shook her head looking quite certain. "Mm-mmm. Not even a little bit. Come on, I thought we already kind of talked about this. Yeah, Jessie is adorable. And I never once imagined that things between you and Cloud were completely platonic. The only thing I care about is that we're all safe and happy. Everything after that is just messy details. Okay? So please just try to enjoy this..." With a gentle touch at her cheek that was fast becoming very familiar, Tifa was guided into a soft kiss.

"O-Okay, I'll try to not freak out so much. But no promises..."

* * *

Obviously Aerith knew that she was playing with fire here. This was a delicate situation and she just gave Tifa the freedom to get a little wild with it. But she had been dead-set on telling the truth. There was no denying that both Cloud and Jessie were cute in their own particular way. And if something came of all this that was a bit more than simply getting to be close to Tifa, that would be amazing.

Was it greedy? Maybe. But if everyone was okay and happy, then she could accept being a little greedy.

It was only when the two of them got to the restaurant that it really hit home how badly she was hoping to make it work. It wasn't a super fancy place since none of them were exactly swimming in money. But they all looked so nice anyway. She was wearing one of her favorite dresses with the usual short-sleeved jacket. Tifa ended up going with a sweater that nearly draped down over her shorts and looked absolutely precious. But it was the others that really surprised her, and solidified what she'd already been thinking about.

Jessie was sporting a kind of romper styled like overalls with obnoxiously colorful striped stockings. And Cloud was, despite being dressed down in just a flannel and jeans, still somehow stunning as hell. She'd apparently gone to Andrea for help, and it showed. Her eyes popped like crazy. Her lips were a lovely shade of pink. But that blush seemed to be all-natural. No big surprise.

Judging by the way Tifa was squeezing her hand, she wasn't the only one thinking it at the moment.

While Cloud may have been looking bashful and nervous, Jessie showed none of that embarrassment. She gave a cheerful wave, arm failing back and forth over her head. "Hey! There you are!" Her other hand was still down between them, fiercely gripping her date's.

"Would you please be cool? I don't want to draw a bunch of attention..." Cloud muttered softly.

Surprisingly, Jessie's entire demeanor changed and she moved in closer to Cloud, putting her free hand on her shoulder and frowning sympathetically. "Shoot, I'm sorry, I was just getting over-excited. I'll try to keep it down." God, she was so tender and concerned. Poor girl really did have it bad. It was adorable.

Aerith stepped in closer, pulling Tifa along with her. "To be fair, I'm not sure Jessie is possible of dialing it back completely. But that's what we like about her." That elicited a blush from the girl, which was pretty much exactly what she was aiming for. Greedy? Perhaps. But it felt so good. "Come on, I'm starving." She eagerly led the way inside before the four of them ended up standing outside, flirting all evening.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning for this one, there's some minor homophobia and transphobia, and a small handful of slurs. I try to keep it reasonable without leaning on shock factor, but please be aware that it's in there <3

Cloud was feeling self-conscious, and not for the usual reason. Aerith and Tifa were absolutely nailing this date. Meanwhile, she was really fumbling the attempt. Frankly, Jessie was putting up with her fumbling like a saint.

It started pretty much right away. Aerith dutifully pulled out a chair so that Tifa could take a seat. Cloud took a cue from her and started to do the same, not realizing that Jessie was doing it at precisely the same time. This left both of them standing there with the chairs awkwardly retracted, making meaningful head tilts. At some point, they each gave up and just sat down in the chair they pulled out.

When they received their menus, things didn't get much better.

"So we don't really need like... appetizers or whatever, do we?"

Jessie was stunned. "Are you kidding?? Appetizers are like... the second best part of going out to eat, just after dessert!"

Cloud looked at her in confusion for a moment. "Wait, we're doing appetizers, and a meal, and dessert? I can't decide if that's too practical or way impractical, but I know it's a lot of something."

One might imagine this would bring down the mood of the evening, but their companions were mostly just watching this with amusement, occasionally giggling among themselves. Aerith did eventually step in, so to speak, and attempted to play mediator. "Come on, this is a big night, we're splurging! Live a little, just for once~!" To her shame, she found it much harder to be combative with Aerith. For all that she knew how to be playful and needle you, it wasn't actually possible to be mad with the woman. She was an expert in getting her way.

"Yeah yeah..." Cloud muttered, going back to studying her menu in silence.

While her eyes were averted, she missed Jessie looking in Aerith's direction and mouthing a silent 'thank you'. She also missed Aerith's wink in return.

There was a moment somewhere in there when a switch flipped in Cloud's mind and she understood what was going on here. And, more specifically, what she'd done to herself. If this date had merely been herself and Jessie, it would have been... okay. Super awkward for sure. Probably as much arguing as there would be flirting. But with the others around, there was less pressure on Cloud to make calls and decisions. She could let Aerith do her usual thing and take the lead, giving her space to kick back and not be so wound up. It had been kind of an unintentionally brilliant decision to make this a double date. Plus, more people around to be supportive and take the attention off her. Tifa did have a tendency to draw the eye.

So she was able to actually enjoy herself, once she accepted what the vibe was here. In fact, it was... really nice. And Jessie did make for good company - enthusiastic and chipper. She really was a great friend, and... very pretty. And the food was good and they were splitting more than one bottle of wine and...

It was a good night. It was a great night.

But such things couldn't last forever.

* * *

All night, Tifa had been vaguely aware of another table at the restaurant where a couple of bros were eyeing them. For the most part, she was able to shake it off. Especially the more wine she got into her system. And as her belly filled and their laughter grew, she was mostly just focused on Aerith and her friends. Besides, eventually they left, and a weight was lifted from her shoulders.

That's what she thought, anyway. But as they came wandering outside, perhaps stumbling ever so slightly, the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end. Something wasn't right. That was when she heard footsteps coming from around the side of the restaurant. All four of them turned to see the same crew of three guys that had been staring them down earlier. One of them was giving a sort of leering grin as he approached ahead of his buddies. "What's up, you all enjoying your ladies' night?" His cronies began chuckling.

Cloud just offered all of them a slightly bewildered glance. "Uh, yeah, actually."

At least this caused the crew to become bewildered as well. "You some kinda idiot? I'm calling you a lady too. Yer obviously a boy, and a fairy at that."

"...I am a lady," she muttered, shoulders tensing slightly.

"Oh, my apologies. I should'a addressed you properly. A band'a dykes and a tran-"

Sensing things getting worse, Tifa stepped in between them, squaring up. "You're gonna wanna take a step back before this gets ugly." She knew she didn't look nearly as intimidating wearing this fluffy sweater, but perhaps she could work that in her favor.

That was when one of the other guys made the biggest mistake of the evening. He reached out, attempting to put a hand on Aerith's shoulder. "Come on baby. You're not really interested in _that_ , are you?" he said, gesturing toward Cloud.

Before anyone had the chance to defend her honor, Aerith gave him a shove backwards, glaring him down. "You've had more than enough chances. Get back now, or you're going to get hurt."

"Look here bitch-"

None of them got any further than that. Tifa knew full well that she would jump into the fight without reservations. Cloud too, considering just how physical of a person she was. But not even Jessie or Aerith were going to let this go. Practically as a unit, they cornered the three assholes into the alleyway next to the restaurant, out of sight. "You really, really should have apologized..." Tifa growled before driving her knee directly into the stomach of the nearest jackass, then punching the second in the solar plexus. "Because you just ruined a pretty much perfect night, and this is the only way I know to make myself feel better..."

Cloud grabbed for the third one, the mouthy asshole, immediately slamming him into the rough bricks of the wall behind him. She had a rather wicked grin at the moment. "Doesn't matter what you call me. I just kicked your ass. Remember that." One quick punch to the face and he was out with the rest of his friends.

Before walking away, both Aerith and Jessie got a kick in, just for good measure. As satisfying as that had been though, it wasn't quite enough yet for Tifa. She still wasn't sure if she appreciated the turn their evening had taken. She needed safety. She needed comfort. She needed more alcohol. "Let's go to Seventh Heaven. Barret's on deck tonight. He can look after us..."

As they each walked away to their separate vehicles, there was a moment where Aerith suddenly pulled her aside, pressing her up against the door and kissing her hard on the mouth. "You're incredible."

Tifa just laughed through her bashful embarrassment and climbed in behind the wheel.

* * *

Jessie's heart was still racing. As she slid into the passenger seat, she expected to glance over and see Cloud looking much the same. Instead, she was greeted with the sight of her friend starting to tear up, gripping the wheel with white knuckles. "...fucking assholes..."

Reaching out, ever so slowly, she put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it softly.

Cloud flinched for just a moment, just as quickly relaxing, sniffling pathetically. Jessie searched her mind for the right thing to say. "And they got what they deserved."

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts it seemed. "That's not the point. This is basically my... second time doing this. And this is what happened. What if I'm alone next time? What if I run into those guys again?"

It sucked to see her hurting so much, and Jessie knew she didn't exactly have a ton of ammo prepared for this kind of situation. If you gave her a prepared script, she could deliver a monologue to comfort the weariest heart. But on her own, there wasn't a lot that she knew how to do. Following instincts instead, she moved her hand up and gently cupped Cloud's cheek. "You're one of the strongest people I know. And I promise that as long as I'm around, I'll stand by you. We all will."

Assuming that was the last of what she could manage to do here, she started to pull away her hand. But then she felt Cloud grasp for her wrist, keeping the hand in place. Not only that, she started leaning slowly forward. Taking the obvious cue, Jessie did the same. Things in the car were still and silent, since Cloud hadn't turned it on yet. So there was no radio to either set or ruin the mood. Just the two of them, cautiously closing the distance. Still, she braced herself for the possibility that Cloud might change her mind. She'd been too presumptuous the other night, and she wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Thankfully, there was no pulling away this time. Finally, finally, finally Jessie got the kiss she'd been waiting almost three years for. And it wasn't exactly perfect. Cloud was still emotional, her own heart was still thumping, and no doubt their friends were waiting impatiently for them to get to the bar. So what if it was a little messy and rushed? It happened, and it was good, and yeah, Jessie was in love. She hoped Cloud was too. Maybe someday.

* * *

Aerith's plan was tricky, but after everything that went down, she felt like all of them needed a bit of fun. When they got to Seventh Heaven, she guided Tifa over to a booth where they sat across from each other, leaving room for their friends once they arrived. Speaking of which, they were taking kind of a long time, and it left Aerith wondering what they were missing at the moment. No doubt something precious. While they were waiting, Barret came over to greet them, gripping a glass with his right arm and cleaning with his left hand. "Well well, if it ain't my favorite customer and my favorite coworker. What're you gals up to tonight?"

Tifa grinned at him, propping her chin up on her fist. "Had a little trouble with some local jackasses, so we decided to bring our double date over here instead. We're just waiting on Cloud and Jessie whenever they finish necking."

"'Necking'? What are you, fifty? Also, please don't say that, Jessie feels like a second daughter to me sometimes. Don't exactly like thinking about her bein' intimate with anyone. Even if the person in question is Cloud." He paused thoughtfully. "How's uhh... she doin'?" He was still adjusting to the pronoun change, but pushing through like a champion.

Aerith and Tifa shared a slightly concerned look. "Like she said. We ran into a tiny speed bump. But I think she's gonna be okay. She's tough as they come."

"Mm, shame there are so many dickwads out there makin' the world a worse place..." he mused, and for a moment it sounded for all the world like he was about to launch into another one of his famous speeches. But he seemed to catch himself at the last second and went back to normal bartender mode. "Anyway, can I getcha something while yer waiting?"

"Might as well get a round of waters, if we really do feel like drinking a bunch," Tifa ventured with a light laugh.

"Can do!" With that, he was back behind the bar and working on their first order, simple as it was.

As they waited, Aerith finally saw their friends coming through the door. Jessie was looking predictably flustered. But the surprising part was that Cloud's eyes seemed a little red, and it looked like some of her make-up had run before being hastily cleaned up. Rather than follow her usual pattern and say something playful, Aerith kept it cool and just flagged them over. "Jessie! Cloud! C'mere!" Without taking no for an answer, she grabbed Jessie's hand and tugged her to sit next to her on the booth, while Tifa did the same for Cloud. "I don't know about you, but I need something strong."


	7. Chapter 7

Tifa knew that they were maybe laying it on just a little bit thick at the moment. And she might have felt bad about that if either of their companions were in some way upset or complaining about it. Cloud was normally really opposed to physical contact, and she seemed to be still reeling somewhat from their encounter. Yet here she was, letting Tifa hold her hand while she pounded back yet another whiskey. She wished there was more that could be done, but she meant what she'd said earlier. When you got right down to it, her strength was her best asset. Beating up a couple assholes was doable. But she had never been much for emotional maturity.

Looking across the table, she saw with no small amusement that Aerith had a lazy arm drooped around Jessie's shoulders as they clinked their newest fruity concoctions together. Just a few days ago, that would have lit up a flare of jealousy and frustration in her core. Now it was something incredibly new and different. She felt a kind of... hope about this entire thing. She was glad that they were all together, and that Aerith had someone else to be close to. They shared a quick look with one another, acknowledgment that everything was still okay.

From there, she glanced sidelong at Cloud, head canting slightly to the side. She did her best to give an empathetic smile, which was returned, however nervous. She even felt Cloud lightly squeeze her hand in silent response. Other than that, she just sipped her booze and seemed to silently consider everything. But at least she was smiling.

"Hey Jessie," Aerith ventured softly after a quick drink. "Tell us more about the play. I don't know anything about it."

She brightened up almost instantly, apparently glad to have the conversation brought around to her area of expertise. "Oh! It's really great. It's about this husband and wife who are having dinner with the woman's old friend and roommate. It's kind of like... mysterious and weird, and there's a lot a lot a lot of subtext. We're uhh... Hah, big shocker, we're putting kind of a gay spin on it. I'm playing the wife," she added proudly.

"Just three characters? Must be intense..." Tifa muttered softly.

They continued to talk about it for a while, though Jessie was being very evasive, not giving away too many details. True to her role as an actress, she obviously wanted all of them to see the play.

"She's... really fucking good..." Cloud glanced across the table at her and nodded in very serious approval. Sure, Cloud did everything seriously, but still, this was way more open than usual. "You've gotta come see it." Slowly, she released her hold on Tifa's hand and started sliding out of the booth. "I know it's dangerous, but I need to break the seal." She paused for just a moment, glancing in the direction of the bathrooms, hesitating. "Dangerous..." she muttered again, almost impossible to hear over the light din of the bar.

Without even missing a beat, Aerith nudged Jessie so that she could climb out too. "Ugh, so do I. Let's test fate together, you and I." Just before taking her by the arm and escorting Cloud away, Aerith gave Tifa one last significant look and a playful wink.

The time had come.

* * *

Obviously Cloud knew that she had no reason to be ashamed for her nerves. Even if those douchebags had gotten what they deserved, that didn't change the fear the event had instilled in her. Aerith, true to form, had effectively inserted herself in this situation under the pretense of merely needing to go at the same time. As if it was some kind of coincidence. Her ability to be that shameless about her support without needing to offer a bunch of flowery reasons was part of why Cloud liked her so much.

They stood side by side at the sinks, each washing their hands silently. Go figure, there had been no reason to be worried about anything. Seventh Heaven was definitely a safe place, and she should have known it would be fine to take a quick trip to the bathroom without harassment.

Aerith suddenly cleared her throat, the universal sign that she was about to say something. "Cloud? Can I ask you something... kinda weird?"

Hoo boy, that couldn't be a good sign. Just like the other day, she had a moment of panic that this was the part where her friend was going to say something unintentionally a little gross. But still, she'd earned the right for a couple missteps. So Cloud swallowed the desire to say no and just nodded slowly, glancing at her friend's reflection in the mirror.

"What do you think of Tifa? I mean like... obviously she's your friend. Like duh. But I mean... were you ever... into her?"

Hm. Not... the direction she was expecting this to go. The whiplash was enough to leave her head spinning slightly. "Uhh... I think she's basically your girlfriend and this isn't something I should really be commenting on."

"Oh! Jeez, I'm not doing this right at all. I-I'm not... fishing out of jealousy or anything here. I'm serious. We... We were talking earlier, and we agreed that you and Jessie are really important to us, and there's basically no point in trying to deny the fact that maybe our attraction goes beyond just the two of us." She turned off the water and turned to fully face Cloud now. "But I guess the next part of that is actually, ya know, talking to the two of you about it. To see if we're talking crazy or if that's something that you would be comfortable with exploring!"

Again, whiplash felt like the right word. But in spite of the insanity, Cloud found herself smiling. This felt... so very 'Aerith', to get with the girl she was clearly crazy about, but to still have more than enough love to spread even further than that. "And that includes me?"

"Um, duh, have you seen yourself?" The question was supposedly rhetorical, but Cloud still found her eyes drifting over to look in the mirror. She felt as though she couldn't see it, not really, but at the same time she could tell that Aerith definitely meant what she was saying. It had seemed like a miracle to find one person who wanted her for what she really was. To think that there might be two more people who wanted to be closer to her felt almost impossible. And she really didn't want to have two emotional breakdowns in one night.

"...well obviously it's up to Jessie too. I don't really wanna say anything without her input. But... Yeah. I mean... You guys mean a lot to me too. So... S-Sure. We can uhh... figure... something out?" Cloud felt like she was already navigating a lot of murky, weird waters. But no denying that there was also something very attractive about doing that with the company of her three favorite people. "We should probably get back to the booth."

* * *

Jessie watched Tifa as she nursed her cosmo canyon, the two sharing a moment of pleasant silence. It occurred to her too late that she'd never really been with just her. Almost always they had either Cloud or Aerith, or both of them, or maybe Barret, as a sort of buffer. She wasn't the sporty type, not really. She'd played a little soccer back in high school, but that was about as far as it went. Flashback to just a few hours ago when she managed to down two guys with just a few hits. Jessie had always been a softie. What did they have in common?

_Oh god. Oh no. I'm overthinking it. I'm making things awkward. I need to say something. Anything. Just until the others get back. Come on, idiot._

"So Jessie..."

The interruption was enough to completely throw her off her rhythm, causing Jessie to give a small squeak of surprise. "Y-Yeah?" She hid her embarrassment behind her own beverage, despite the fact that it couldn't actually shield her blushing.

Tifa's laughter didn't help things any. "Sorry. Just uhh... wanted to say. Aerith is really fond of you."

Woah, what the hell? Where was this coming from? Was Tifa about to get up in her face because Aerith was kind of touchy-feely? It's not like any of that stuff was her fault. It just seemed like the way she showed affection! "Um. I uh... I... I guess?"

There was none of the anger she was expecting to see, just more gentle laughter. "Sorry, this is new for me. What I mean is... Aerith likes you. And I really like Cloud. And I like you and... y'know, Aerith likes Cloud and... I was just freaking out earlier because it seems like maybe there's some overlap between the four of us that we didn't exactly expect. But maybe that's okay? Like we can kinda make it work. If that's something you'd be okay with."

Unable to conjure up any kind of response, Jessie instead just took a long drink from her glass. Was she serious? It seemed like it! And... it wasn't something she'd ever exactly thought about before, but it sounded nice. Aerith and Tifa both had a sort of magnetism about them that she couldn't deny. Her face felt hot and she just couldn't seem to formulate a single thought in her head at the moment, like something had short circuited inside her. An image attempted to form itself in the theatre of her mind, four people occupying a bed at the same time. What would that look like? What would that _feel_ like? And with girls like them no less?

Hell, there was really only one answer. "Totally! Wow, yeah. Yeah, that sounds... Wow. I didn't even think... Sure! We... absolutely can see." Whoops, she was starting to ramble now. Thankfully, that seemed to be working in her favor, judging by the way Tifa was giggling and playing footsie with her under the table.

Cloud and Aerith were returning from the bathroom, and she was having trouble deciding if this was closer to salvation or damnation. Either way, she was grateful to have everyone together at the table again. This would probably be easier to sort through that way. Reaching out, almost desperately, she took Cloud's hand and tugged her in close next to her on the booth. Aerith slid in across from them with a satisfied smile.

"So," she said, her smile growing. "What's the good word?"

* * *

Aerith was walking on air. Reservations and fears be damned, things were _happening_. Of course, even if Seventh Heaven was effectively a home for all of them, it still felt a little weird to get too much into the details hanging out there. Without a shred of worry, she invited everyone back to her dorm to sober up a little bit and talk things over a bit more. Maybe Cloud and Jessie looked a little anxious, but excited too. That was a combination she was willing to take.

The four of them had made their way back to her room and were currently lounging on the floor, each musing on their respective level of nerves. Only Aerith was apparently at-ease with this, which was fine. That was her neutral state. She went where she pleased, did as she pleased, and everyone seemed to just kind of accept it, regardless of the fact that she looked like a harmless peasant girl who went around selling flowers to people.

"Soooo... How are we feeling?"

Everyone, even Tifa, looked a little bit bashful. With her usual good-natured smile, Aerith realized that even if they had started to broach the subject, they still needed some helpful shoves. Reaching out, she took Jessie's arm and tugged her in closer, urging her to rest her head against her shoulder. Which she did, giving a little contented sigh.

Taking the cue from where she sat leaning against the bed, Tifa looked toward Cloud with a warm smile. She made some space on her lap, then guided her head down to rest there. She started to try and run her fingers through her hair, only to find it was a much taller task than expected. "Girl, we need to have a long serious conversation about the amount of product you use in your hair..."

"Andrea said the same thing..." she muttered softly.

There was a beat, and suddenly all four of them burst out in bright laughter. Aerith couldn't really tell you why, other than the combination of stress and alcohol and relief and a million other things. Glancing over, she caught Jessie's eye and noticed a kind of glimmer there. How could she not? Here and now, it seemed like the only right choice. She craned her head ever so slightly, nuzzling her nose against Jessie's. After a moment of hesitation, the girl seemed to realize what was going on, cheeks erupting in a bright blush. Ever so gently, she gave her lips an experimental smooch - nothing intense or necessarily meaningful. But pleasant for sure.

Aerith cast a quick glance across the room at the other two and saw Cloud awkwardly leaning up out of Tifa's lap to give her a similarly experimental kiss.

_Mission accomplished._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm probably going to leave the story there for the time being, I think it's a good drop off point. I might come back to this someday, perhaps once I've had a chance to play FF7 myself, or just because I get bit by the inspiration bug. Thanks so much for sticking with this and reading and sharing and everything. You guys rule!


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